By Johnathan Paoli
Former Directorate of Priority Crime Investigations (Hawks) boss Lieutenant-General Godfrey Lebeya has maintained that officers were sent to controversial businessman and murder accused Katiso Molefe’s Sandton home on 6 December 2024 solely to establish whether people claiming to be Hawks officials were impersonating members of the unit.
Testifying before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Thursday, Lebeya rejected allegations that he had dispatched the officers to disrupt the operation to arrest Molefe, saying he had received information from TikTok influencer Malcolm X that people at the property claimed to have been sent by him.
“I do not know Mr Katiso Molefe. I was not contacted by Mr Katiso Molefe. I was contacted by Malcolm X,” Lebeya said.
“I directed two senior managers to verify the allegations of persons who were said to be claiming to be members of the DPCI [Hawks] and to have been sent by me. I have never instructed the members of the DPCI to interrupt a legitimate police operation,” he added.
Molefe was arrested at his Sandhurst home while police were investigating the murder of engineer Armand Swart.
A previous commission witness, Witness A, testified that Hawks officers arrived during the operation, demanded the criminal case number and details of the investigation, and said they had been sent by their “General National Head” (Lebeya).
Lebeya said he had immediately checked with Gauteng Hawks head Major General Ebrahim Ahmed Kadwa and Lieutenant-General Patrick Mbotho, the Divisional Commissioner of National Priority Offences Operations, whether they knew of a Hawks operation in Sandton.
After both answered in the negative, Lebeya said Malcolm X provided him with the address, which he forwarded to Kadwa and Mbotho.
“Knowing the scenario painted about impersonators, I had to ensure that action is taken to verify the information and, in case of impersonators, effect an arrest. In case of legitimate members, confirm as such and allow them to continue,” he said.
Kadwa previously told the commission that Lebeya had called him at about 4pm that day and instructed him to establish whether Hawks members were operating at the address.
Lebeya maintained that the officers’ arrival was not intended to interfere with the arrest.
“Indeed, the team verified that the people were police officials but not the Hawks, and they allowed the team to proceed without disturbances, as confirmed by Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi,” he said.
Lebeya said if then-acting national commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi or suspended Crime Intelligence head Lieutenant-General Dumisani Khumalo had informed him that the operation involved organised crime, he would not have dispatched Hawks officers.
He acknowledged that an ordinary murder investigation would not require him to be notified, but maintained that Swart’s murder fell within organised crime.
“It is probable that Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi had known about the involvement of serious organised crime in November 2024. Had he complied with this provision, I would have known about the operation and will not have sent members from the DPCI [Hawks],” he said.
Lebeya described himself as the “first casualty” of efforts to address alleged criminality within Crime Intelligence, saying his position and career progression were affected after he investigated irregular appointments and other abuses.
Lebeya said his post as Hawks divisional commissioner was abolished in 2011 after he investigated irregular appointments in Crime Intelligence.
He later said he was dismissed by former national commissioner General Riah Phiyega in 2014 after refusing to accept a restructured position, before a court reinstated him in 2016.
“Restructuring, which has been used by every National Commissioner, including the Acting National Commissioners, has been used to either constructively enhance the organisation, destructively weaken the organisation, negatively weaponise it against adversaries, and nepotistically created posts to accommodate loyalists,” he said.
He also described what he called a “slow lane” in his career, saying officials could be held back despite completing qualifications and examinations.
Lebeya raised concerns about impersonation of Hawks officials, telling the commission the unit had identified at least 30 cases in which criminals allegedly pretended to be Hawks members.
Against this backdrop, he said his decision to investigate the reports from Malcolm X about the Molefe operation was justified.
“Malcolm X is not my friend, but he’s also not my enemy,” Lebeya said.
At the beginning of his testimony, Lebeya’s advocate, Eric Nwedo, raised concerns about the former Hawks boss having to fund his own representation.
Nwedo said Lebeya had applied for SAPS funding in November 2025, but the request was declined in January 2026.
He argued that Lieutenant-General Tebello Mosikili, who had previously worked under Lebeya and had been tasked by him with investigating the Port Shepstone drug theft matter, should have recused herself from the funding decision.
Nwedo called the reasons for refusing funding “frivolous”, particularly the suggestion that Lebeya’s version differed from those of other SAPS witnesses.
Commission chair Mbuyiseli Madlanga said he was sympathetic to Lebeya’s predicament but did not believe the commission could intervene in the SAPS funding decision.
Proceedings adjourned, with Lebeya to continue his testimony after lunch.
